The invention relates to an instrument for endoscopic surgery, with a housing having a grip element and a shaft-receiving element, the grip element having a fixed grip part and a pivotable grip part, and the shaft-receiving element being intended to receive and lock the proximal end of a tubular shaft, with a tool arranged at the distal end of the shaft, and with an actuation member being provided for the tool and extending through the shaft and being longitudinally movable therein, or with a slide piece acting on the actuation member, the actuation member engaging with its proximal end in the shaft-receiving element of the housing and being able to be coupled there, via a coupling mechanism arranged in the housing, to the grip part mounted pivotably on the housing, in such a way that a pivoting of the grip part causes a longitudinal movement of the actuation member and an actuation of the tool. The invention further relates to a housing for such an instrument.
An instrument of this kind is known, for example, from the earlier application DE 10156917 A1 filed by the Applicant. During the operation performed with such an instrument, the patient generally lies on an operating table and the surgeon stands to the side behind the patient's head, for example. The surgeon will often maneuver two instruments simultaneously, of which at least one will be of the type mentioned above. Depending on the orientation of the shaft, this forces the surgeon to hold and operate the instrument with his hands in an unnatural position, which can lead to early fatigue.